Microsoft has started the process of re-releasing Windows 10 October 2018 Update after the initial rollout was put to a stop due to a data deletion bug. Windows 10 1809 Build 17763.17 is now available to Windows Insiders in the Slow and Release Preview rings. The company assured that it will take a slow and steady approach, testing the latest build in the Insider community before making it available to the general public.
Today’s cumulative update to Windows 10 1809 addresses the data deletion issue along with bringing the usual Patch Tuesday security fixes to the OS. Here’s the complete changelog:
Related Patch Tuesday Cumulative Updates Are Live for Windows 10 April 2018 Update, Fall Creators Update, and Other Versions of the OS
- Addresses an issue where an incorrect timing calculation may prematurely delete user profiles on devices subject to the “Delete user profiles older than a specified number of day” group policy.
- Security updates to Windows Kernel, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Internet Explorer, Windows Storage and Filesystems, Windows Linux, Windows Wireless Networking, Windows MSXML, the Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows Peripherals, Microsoft Edge, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer.
In a blog post explaining the bug, Microsoft said that the only a few users experienced data loss – “one one-hundredth of one percent of version 1809 installs.” It added that the company has now fully investigated all reports of data loss and has identified and fixed all known issues in the update, and conducted internal validation.
John Cable, Director of Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery, writes (emphasis is ours):
Prior to re-releasing the October 2018 Update our engineering investigation determined that a very small number of users lost files during the October 2018 Update. This occurred if Known Folder Redirection (KFR) had been previously enabled, but files remain in the original “old” folder location vs being moved to the new, redirected location. KFR is the process of redirecting the known folders of Windows including Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Screenshots, Videos, Camera Roll, etc. from the default folder location, c:usersusernamefolder name, to a new folder location. In previous feedback from the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, users with KFR reported an extra, empty copy of Known Folders on their device. Based on feedback from users, we introduced code in the October 2018 Update to remove these empty, duplicate known folders. That change, combined with another change to the update construction sequence, resulted in the deletion of the original “old” folder locations and their content, leaving only the new “active” folder intact.
Microsoft added that all the issues have now been resolved and the rollout process for the public will be resumed after the feedback is received from the Slow and Release Preview rings.
